The Delhi Police have arrested two men for allegedly posing as BSES officials and trying to extort ₹5 lakh from a consumer of the power discom in south-east Delhi’s Tughlakabad Extension.
BSES issues statement
A statement from BSES said the two accused, who were accompanied by four others, had allegedly charged Narendra Kumar with power theft by tampering with the meter and demanded ₹5 lakh from him on August 21.
The police confirmed the arrests of Sonu Kumar and Dhan Singh, even as the BSES urged consumers to exercise caution against impostors.
Extort ₹12,000
The accused had even conducted videography to impress Mr. Kumar. They pretended to check the power meter, charged him with electricity theft and allegedly managed to extort ₹12,000 from him, said a police officer.
Suspecting the men were imposters, a neighbouring shopkeeper alerted Mr. Kumar.
The victim and his neighbour immediately nabbed two of the accused, said the officer, adding their accomplices managed to flee.
Sonu and Dhan were handed over to the police and a case was registered at Govindpuri police station based on a complaint by Mr. Kumar, the police officer said.
Past cases
According to the BSES, seven persons have been caught posing as employees of the discom and trying to extort money from consumers over the past few months. Over 30 such impostors have been apprehended in the past couple of years, a BSES spokesperson said.
